


Only a Matter of Time

by CakeMoney



Series: What Is Love (Single Dads AU) [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-17 22:33:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11278128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CakeMoney/pseuds/CakeMoney
Summary: “Listen,” Yaku says, his hands clasped in front of him. He has a comically serious look on his face. “I don’t want to say that everyone in your potluck is gay, but.” He glances at the newcomer, Sugawara, who Tetsurou had invited and who, within minutes of arriving, is already hanging off of Oikawa’s shoulder. “But I am seriously impressed by how every single person in your potluck is gay. Maybe you’re some kind of magnet for gay dads?”“This isn’t my potluck,” Tetsurou insists, because he’s not really sure what else he can argue with.“You know what I mean,” Yaku says. He looks between Sugawara and Tetsurou, and raises an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure it’s only a matter of time before everyone starts pairing up.”





	Only a Matter of Time

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place—I don’t even know, it starts before A Pretty Good Start and ends after As They Always Have and I don’t know. I know I claimed that each fic can stand on its own, but this one in particular is probably weird without the context of the other stories, so. I hope y'all enjoy anyway!
> 
> Once again, many thanks to [lomeki's](http://lomeki.tumblr.com) support, without which I would be self-destructing all over the place

“Thank you for having me,” the new guy says. “I’m—”

“Issei-sensei!” Bokuto blurts, then covered his mouth. “I mean—Matsukawa-sensei, right? From the kindergarten?”

Matsukawa blinks. “Oh—you’re Shouyou’s father.”

“I didn’t know you had a son, sensei,” Iwaizumi says, striding forward to welcome him. “Please, come in.”

And just like that, Iwaizumi and Bokuto fold Matsukawa into their group effortlessly, greeting his son Yuutarou and encouraging them to get some food and showering Matsukawa with questions. Oikawa joins their cluster, throwing an arm around Hanamaki, and all the kids (except for Kei, naturally) stare at Yuutarou, excited and curious and relishing the novelty of his hair.

Tetsurou stays back (mostly because Kei’s in his lap) and watches them, and makes a note to look out for kids investigating electricity outlets, while Kenma uses this opportunity to flee and hide in the bathroom or something.

“Stop that,” Yaku says.

It takes a second for Tetsurou to realize that Yaku’s speaking to him. “Stop what?”

Yaku gestures vaguely. “Your face is doing that thing,” he says, nose scrunching up. “You look really sappy and proud and whatever. It’s gross. Stop it.”

“What’s wrong with my face?” Tetsurou demands.

“A lot of things,” Yaku replies, without hesitation. “But especially that dumb expression. Stop it.”

“Nobody’s making you look at it!”

“Ugh,” Kei groans, and goes after Kenma.

 

* * *

 

The potluck was Bokuto’s idea—Bokuto has a lot of ideas—but Tetsurou was always the one who made it work, who arranged locations and sent out reminders and badgered Sawamura in the group chat. It’s fun, a great outlet for his restless energy from running the family’s flower shop, and anyway Tetsurou’s never been able to say no to Bokuto.

“Can I ask him to join our potluck?” Bokuto asks. “He’s really cool! Right, Shouyou?”

“He’s tall!” Shouyou says, hands reaching as high as he can. Tetsurou has noticed that Shouyou says that about pretty much everyone.

“Yeah!” Bokuto agrees. “Like, this tall.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to just ask him on a date, instead?” Tetsurou asks, but he knows it’s useless. This potluck is Bokuto’s  _thing_ —it’s more than just a weekly excuse to eat Tetsurou’s cooking (although that seems to be Oikawa’s primary motivation); Tetsurou knows that this potluck, to Bokuto, brings together everyone important to him.

So the following Friday, Tetsurou watches from Oikawa’s couch as Bokuto excitedly introduces Akaashi to everyone. Bokuto’s hands keep straying close to Akaashi’s, then jerking back, and Tetsurou’s just about had it.

“Look at them,” Yaku says; he’s physically wrangling Lev, his kid, into eating vegetables, but he still has enough spare energy to wrinkle his nose in Bokuto’s direction. “What is this, middle school? Lev, come on, open your mouth.”

“I can’t believe Akaashi’s just letting this happen,” Tetsurou groans. Shouyou’s running around Bokuto and Akaashi’s legs, and Tetsurou has a sinking feeling that someone’s going to trip, sooner or later. “Bokuto’s always been like that, but Akaashi? Really?”

Bokuto grins at Akaashi, and Akaashi actually averts his eyes as though Bokuto’s too bright to look at. Yaku clicks his tongue with disapproval. “They need a room.”

“They need a fainting couch,” Tetsurou corrects. “Bokuto’s going to swoon if they ever—oh, hey, Shouyou, don’t—”

Shouyou knocks over the coffee table; Lev manages to free himself in the ensuing mess, and the two run off towards Kenma. Yaku and Tetsurou exchange an exasperated look. “I hate children,” Yaku grumbles, stuffing the broccoli in his own mouth.

Bokuto blushes at something Akaashi said; Yaku makes a gagging sound, and Tetsurou laughs.

 

* * *

 

“Listen,” Yaku says, his hands clasped in front of him. He has a comically serious look on his face. “I don’t want to say that everyone in your potluck is gay, but.” He glances at the newcomer, Sugawara, who Tetsurou had invited and who, within minutes of arriving, is already hanging off of Oikawa’s shoulder. “But I am seriously impressed by how every single person in your potluck is gay. Maybe you’re some kind of magnet for gay dads?”

“This isn’t _my_ potluck,” Tetsurou insists, because he’s not really sure what else he can argue with.

“You know what I mean,” Yaku says. He looks between Sugawara and Tetsurou, and raises an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure it’s only a matter of time before everyone starts pairing up.”

Tetsurou feels his face heat up. “His son is friends with Kei, that’s all,” he says. “Kei doesn’t get close to people easily. It’s important.”

Yaku hums, unconvinced. “Oikawa called you a serial monogamist, you know,” he says, giving Kuroo another significant look when Sugawara shoots a smile their way. “He told me that you’ve never stayed single for more than half a year.”

“Did he, now?” Tetsurou wonders, not for the first time, what it’d be like to punch Oikawa’s stupid face. “He's just jealous; don’t believe a word he says. I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

“Right,” Yaku says, straight-faced. That single word contains more judgment than Kei’s entire young life so far.

“What about you?” Tetsurou asks, defensive. “You were getting along great with Sugawara-san in the kitchen.”

Yaku rolls his eyes. “No way. I’m too busy for dating.”

Tetsurou starts to retort something, but he has no idea what. He’s never realized that he doesn’t know what Yaku does for a living. “Wait, what—”

“Please don’t ask me what my job is.”

“Okay, okay,” Tetsurou grumbles, turning back to his food. Upstairs, something crashed into a wall. Everyone else seem too engrossed in their conversations to notice.

 

* * *

 

Yaku makes sure that Lev is settled, wrapped in a blanket in the armchair, before he drops onto the couch next to Tetsurou, kicks his feet up into Tetsurou’s lap, and sticks out a hand. “Three hundred yen,” he sings.

Tetsurou glances at where Sugawara has his hand firmly around Sawamura’s waist, in a turn of events that probably everyone saw coming. “Fine, fine,” he sighs, pulling out his wallet. “I thought Sawamura would drag it out for another month.”

They watch in silence as Sugawara leads Sawamura firmly into the hallway, presumably to _talk_ about _adult things_ , leaving Yaku and Tetsurou the only adults in a living room full of young children and breakable objects.

Tetsurou had no idea Sawamura’s apartment had so many nooks for people to hide in.

“What did I tell you,” Yaku says, managing to sound both smug and disgusted. He wiggles around on the couch to get comfortable, and Tetsurou lets him. “Everyone’s pairing up.”

“We have Iwaizumi.” Tetsurou nods towards the bathroom, where Iwaizumi (thankfully) entered by himself.

“Yeah, but have you seen the way he looks at Oikawa?” Yaku counters. “I’ll bet you five hundred yen that they’ll be together in three weeks.”

“I’m not betting against you again,” Tetsurou says. It’s probably a good thing that Oikawa had an extra shift today and couldn’t make it. “Well, after that, there’s just us,” he adds. For some reason, his chest feels kind of tight when he continues: “We’ll complete the set.”

They both laugh. Something kind of hurts.

“The last defense against turning this potluck into a glorified group date,” Yaku says, flashing Tetsurou a boyish grin. Then his eyes widened. “Shit—Tobio, get down from there—”

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe I missed this,” Tetsurou says, grinning.

Oikawa screams into his hands. He hasn’t stopped screaming for three minutes now. “It was adorable,” Sugawara promises. “Just this tiny, _tiny_ peck—and you should’ve seen their faces! It looked like Iwaizumi’s brain imploded!”

“Stop,” Oikawa moans, slapping Sugawara’s teasing poke away from his face.

“Aww, Tooru, I had no idea you were so shy!” Hanamaki coos, practically draped over the back of the couch. “You’re usually so shameless!”

“Shut up.” Oikawa’s entire face is red now. Tetsurou is gleefully getting all this on video. “Shut—leave me alone! You guys are terrible friends!”

“Don’t say that, Tooru-kun,” Matsukawa chimes in from the other side, holding a hand to his chest. When Tetsurou first met Matsukawa, he had definitely not expected the man to turn out to be a quieter but infinitely more savage Hanamaki. “We’re all so proud of you. It took you so long to get here, we were all holding our breaths.”

“We all _died_ holding our breaths,” Hanamaki adds, as all the kids gathered in the room, drawn by the commotion.

“Don’t shame me in front of the children like this,” Oikawa wails, as Shouyou climbs into his lap and Shigeru grabs onto Oikawa’s shoulder to demand when Oikawa is finally going to _marry Iwa-san, don’t you think it’s time, I want to be the flower boy_ —

Amidst the chaos, Tetsurou turns to Yaku, still grinning, about to crack a joke or ask Yaku if he wants the video—and he sees Yaku, standing back from the crowd, an unreadable look on his face. When their eyes meet, Tetsurou knows exactly what Yaku’s thinking:

_It’s just the two of us, now_.

All the air leaves Tetsurou’s lungs. Someone—Yuu, probably?—is climbing his legs to get a better view, but he barely registers it.

Yaku looks away, rubs his neck uncomfortably. Tetsurou’s chest aches so much that he wonders if he’s developing some sort of heart condition.

 

* * *

 

_Yakkun, you coming tonight?_

_Yaku?_

_Hey, Yaku, listen, I’m sorry if all the couple stuff makes you uncomfortable, I can ask everyone to tone it down_

_Yaku come on don’t ignore me let’s talk about this_

_Listen Yaku please just come okay there’s ten kids and one me and all the other guys are off making out somewhere and I’m going to die here shigeru and kentarou are literally about to fight and you know I’m bad at dealing with that please just come help me_

Tetsurou has to stop texting Yaku then, because Shouyou is climbing onto furniture to be taller than Tobio and Tobio is throwing toys in retaliation (the kid’s aim is amazing, actually), and also Yuu looks two seconds away from punching the TV, which is playing _Tangled_ and which apparently has too much blond hair or something, and Shigeru really does look like he’s about to shove Kentarou down the stairs, and Tadashi is getting teary from the movie, which isn’t really in itself a problem but Tetsurou has never really been in a position where he has to comfort kids so that’s probably going to be a disaster.

He can’t even be relieved that Kei, his own kid, is sitting quietly, because he’s 90% certain that Kei is scheming to steal Takeru’s volleyball and hide it somewhere, and when that happens everyone will be screaming at the same time, including Tetsurou.

“We should go outside and play volleyball!” Shouyou says, from the top of a bookshelf (Tetsurou tries not to freak because _when did he get there?!_ ). “I’m going to be the best ace!”

“Impossible,” Kei sniffs. “My brother’s a better player than you’ll ever be.”

“What did you say?” Shouyou shouts, jumping down from above; he doesn’t land on Kei, thank God, but he bumps into Tadashi, who knocks over Yuutarou who falls onto Akira, whose first instinct upon being woken from his nap is to grab a toy truck and throw it at Tobio, who starts crying.

“Whoa, whoa!” Tetsurou shouts, diving into the fray. “Alright, that’s it—everyone sit down! No, Kei, give me the ball!”

After everyone’s settled down again and Tobio’s curled up in the corner with some warm milk, Tetsurou checks his phone. There aren’t any new messages.

 

* * *

 

Tetsurou wakes to an insistent knocking on his door. He rolls over and checks his phone, groaning against the bright light. 1:36 a.m.

“The building better be on fire,” he moans, then pushes himself out of bed. He keeps swearing while pulling on his pants, stumbling through the dark, and running into his couch twice. “I swear to God, I’m going to—”

He opens the door, the words die in his throat. It’s Yaku. Of course it’s Yaku.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Yaku blurts, breathless, as though he’d run all the way here. “I didn’t know how, I wanted to talk to you face to face but I—”

Tetsurou stares down at him, still trying to process that this conversation is happening—here, now, at _1:36 a.m._ “How did you know where I live?” he asks, dazed, wearing what must be an absolutely stupid look. “We’ve never had a meeting here.”

Yaku waves that away. “Listen, I—” He takes a deep breath. “You know how we joked about how everyone’s pairing up?”

Tetsurou feels his stomach drop. “Is that why you didn’t come today?”

Yaku shakes his head, but Tetsurou isn’t sure what he’s denying. “You said we’d complete the set,” Yaku says. He’s still out of breath, somehow. “Were you kidding?”

Tetsurou doesn’t know, himself. “Do you want me to be?”

Yaku’s fists are clenched. He may be shaking. “I’ve never dated anyone,” he says, plaintive. “I don’t know what it’s like. I don’t know how I feel. I don’t know—if we date, maybe it’s just because everyone else in the potluck are dating, and I don’t want that, but—”

Tetsurou had expected Yaku to yell at him. He expected Yaku to be assertive and demanding and sure. He expected Yaku to kick something—the threshold, the umbrella stand, Tetsurou’s ass. But here Yaku stands, at his door, vulnerable and wide-eyed, and Tetsurou is abruptly reminded of the fact that they’re barely parents to begin with, much less adults.

“Hey,” he says. The chest ache is back. “I get it, Yakkun. It’s confusing. It’s hard to know what exactly we want. Sometimes you don’t really know if you like someone or if you just like the idea of liking them, and you want to do right by everyone but you’re not sure what that means, you know?”

Yaku sniffles a little, but he cracks a smile. “Are we still talking about me, here, or are you ranting?”

“Let me have my moment, okay,” Tetsurou snipes, but he relents. “It’s going to be okay, Yaku. There’s no right or wrong answer. We just try our best to be happy, you know?”

They stand there and look at each other. Yaku wipes at his face roughly. “I should get back to Lev,” he says. “But… thanks.”

“Sure.” Tetsurou holds out his arms, and Yaku allows the hug. “Come by tomorrow, okay? We can talk this through when we’re supposed to be awake.”

Yaku nods, against Tetsurou’s shoulder.

“Oh, and remind me at the next potluck,” Tetsurou adds. “We need to assign a rotation for watching the kids. We’ll need an excel sheet.”

“I can’t believe I like you,” Yaku sighs. They don’t let go, for some reason.

**Author's Note:**

> **Bonus Scene: Later that day in the flower shop**
> 
> Yaku: Wait. So is there _anyone_ in the potluck that you haven't slept with?
> 
> Kuroo: Sugawara and I were completely casual, I promise!
> 
> Yaku: *kicks over the table*
> 
>  
> 
> Feel free to come yell at me on [tumblr](http://cakemoney.tumblr.com), especially if you spot any continuity errors in the series. Please. I'm so bad at thinking things through, I'll appreciate any help/criticism!
> 
> Alternate Title: When will Kuroo be able to get out of the kitchen? Where does Kenma keep running off to? How many times can I make Tobio cry? Comment below to vote for your favorite!


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